Taking the heat off: A thought for workers toiling at sweltering sites

Peak summer is also peak production time, but the mandated SOPs and heat action plans offer little respite

With the summer sun blazing across construction sites and infrastructure projects, those toiling under its scorching rays bear its harshest brunt.

According to a study by the Indian Institute of Public Health, Ahmedabad, nearly 60 per cent of construction workers battle mild to severe heat-related symptoms during the summer months. This challenge intensifies as the heatwave season coincides with peak production and construction activities ahead of monsoon, when infrastructure projects come to a standstill.

Some large infrastructure companies Business Standard spoke with said they have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for heatwave prevention among their on-site staff, including labour. This includes raising awareness about heat-induced diseases and providing amenities at the workplace to assist labourers during the day.

Top executives at KEC International, an engineering company specialising in the transmission and distribution segment, have limited outdoor work and are restricting any outdoor work from being carried out during the 11 am to 3 pm time period of the day, at some of their project sites.
 

KEC International’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Vimal Kejriwal says the company is providing coolers and puff panels in workmen camps, ensuring access to cold drinking water at all work sites and camps, and supplying buttermilk, ORS, and glucose water to prevent dehydration and heat strokes. It is also using thermal guns to monitor temperatures and identify potential symptoms of heat strokes, and making ice available at air-conditioned Occupational Health Centres (OHCs) to provide relief to affected workers.

Regarding a potential impact on project timelines, Kejriwal says, “We have preemptively adjusted work schedules to mitigate any delays. We have advanced the start of our day shift and extended the night shift to compensate for any potential lag, thereby minimising the impact on project timelines.”

Emphasising its commitment to government-mandated SOPs, Kejriwal says the firm has also implemented supplementary measures such as providing portable structured rest shelters for workers.

Emails to Tata Projects, Larsen & Toubro, Sterling and Wilson, and Thermax Global remained unanswered. Queries sent to NCC and IRB, too, did not elicit responses by the time of going to print.

Several companies in the construction sector said they adhere to government advisories. 

States are required to develop and implement Heat Action Plans (HAPs) to raise awareness of and prevent heat-induced illnesses. However, a recent study by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) found the 37 HAPs it analysed to be “insufficient and non-transparent”.

HAPs are SOPs that states, cities and municipal bodies need to tackle the impact of heat. 

Experts argue that these plans simply offer conventional advice such as staying hydrated and avoiding direct sunlight, overlooking the complex interplay of factors, including climate change, which can lead to dangerously high wet bulb temperatures even without extreme heat. There is a call for companies and states to adopt science-based planning to address these challenges.

Eastern India experienced unexpected heatwaves in March-April, and now the Northern region is facing heatwaves. Weather experts attribute these changing patterns to the impacts of climate change. As one climate researcher notes, “Global warming disrupts businesses, making the protection of frontline staff, who are most vulnerable, a top priority.”

Shiva Rajora contributed to this article

Easing labour pains

Labour ministry’s SoPs for construction workers

> Reschedule working hours for employees in different sectors

> Ensure adequate drinking water facilities at workplace

> Make provision for emergency ice packs and heat illness prevention material

> Coordinate with health department to ensure health checkup

> Ensure necessary arrangements to regulate piece rate and requirements for undertaking physical work during summers